The musician gives twenty-five thousand pounds Mercury Prize to grassroots live spaces
The artist has handed over the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound honor prize money to the trust for venues, which functions to save the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.
The star was awarded the award on 16 October as his third album People Watching was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.
He has chosen to donate the funds to the MVT, in recognition of the essential function grassroots venues played in his early career.
"I wouldn't be doing this success if it weren't for all the shows I did around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.
He also participated, generating more than £100,000 on his live tour to assist numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money assisted locations that were confronting possible closure due to challenges caused by water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.
Some locations received financial assistance in upgrading infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted musicians and fans.
"The notion that revenue from performances in big venues backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just sensible," Fender has commented.
The musician is not the first artist to donate his award prize money to charitable organizations.
In the band earned the award in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, frontman Cocker announced that the group would donate their winnings to the organization War Child.
That year, rapper and singer she divided her award among a few charities, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they required new equipment," she told a publication.
In recent years, they gave their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their group, as well as other local music groups.
Also winners that year M People donated their winnings to a charity for MS after a friend was found to have the illness.
"Winning was quite enough," stated vocalist the singer. "The cash was the extra but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the honor. So our success touched somebody else's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had protected a couple of local spots in the South East, by bringing them into public stewardship.
The Joiners in that area and the second in Bristol were bought under the community ownership scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who purchase "ownership units" in the buildings.